Oct. 06 CLASS: Silver Maple Leaf

Posted on September 28, 2018 by brendastevens

Watercolor Crash Course! Saturday, 10-06

I love painting fall leaves. This subject was added to my list of Watercolor Crash Course subjects a few years ago. October 06, at http://www.auburn.edu/opce Auburn University we will paint this leaf in one four hour class. If you’ve never picked up a brush and want to try painting, this class is for you. You don’t need any drawing skills, I’ve created a pattern for you. All the supplies and materials will be furnished on the day of class so you don’t have to invest in paints and brushes and paper. Basically, show up, with enthusiasm, and I’ll take it from there.

New painting done on YUPO

Posted on September 22, 2018 by brendastevens

I’ve continued to work on YUPO paper this summer and have found it becomes easier with practice, just like other things I’ve learned to do. This painting, Brook, is an imaginary scene and I did not start with a drawing as I usually do. YUPO is so forgiving…just erase the watercolor with a moist brush and start again.

Brook

Viceroy Butterfly- this Saturday at CSU

Posted on September 12, 2018 by brendastevens

Four hours in my class and you can take home this butterfly. Register now at http://www.columbusstate.edu/ce for September 15 class, 12:30-4:30.

Subject: Viceroy Butterfly

Low Tide, Apalachicola

Posted on July 17, 2018 by brendastevens

Low Tide, Apalachicola, sold. 16 x 20 watercolor on AquaBord.

Painting for Memorial Day

Image

An old house on the lake where I live inspired this painting.

“Seascape” on Saturday, May 05 at Columbus State

Posted on April 7, 2018 by brendastevens

Paint this seascape with the help of Brenda’s step by step demonstrations. This subject is one of twelve subjects in her WATERCOLOR CRASH COURSE! series. Learn how to mix all the colors for this painting using only red, yellow and blue. Amazing and Fun! You can do this in just four hours.

HERON for watercolor

Posted on January 30, 2018 by brendastevens

Great Blue Heron, is one of twelve subjects in my Watercolor Crash Course! series. Each subject is a four hour introductory watercolor workshop. We painted this on Saturday at Auburn University’s Biggin Hall.

Working on Yupo

Posted on January 15, 2018 by brendastevens

Yupo for watercolor is the surface I’ve been working on since Christmas. I started making Christmas cards with it and had so much fun I decided to try a larger painting. If you want to catapult yourself out of your comfort zone, Yupo takes “happy little accident” to a whole new level. Its smooth, water resistant surface is quite the challenge. The water doesn’t soak in, it has to evaporate, and taking dry paint back to the white of the paper is so easy it’s hard to avoid doing it. Camellia on Yupo, 14 x 11.

Experiment Boldly.

Posted on November 20, 2017 by brendastevens

This was an experiment. Not all experiments work out well, but that’s half the fun; not knowing if it will, or it won’t. The day I started this painting I realized too late that I would need some masking for the cotton in the field. I live in the country, so driving to a store wasn’t even a fleeting consideration. I rarely use masking so I had none. Boldly, and might I say, wrongly, I chose wax. Candle wax. It repels water doesn’t it? Why not? Well, first of all, it was a challenge to place the drip, and my hand seemed always in the way of the flame. Dangerous, but I finally got it done. The hardest part came when the painting was finished and I had to remove the wax. Glad it was a small painting. I was ultimately successful in removing all the wax and was satisfied enough with the painting to frame it.

Southern Barn

“If it looks right when you put it down, its wrong.”

Posted on August 28, 2017 by brendastevens

Another watercolorist’s words, but oh so true. I smiled when I read this, remembering how frustrating I found this in my early watercolor years. The paint doesn’t always stay where I put it. I anticipate this behavior now, and even encourage it, painting wet-on-wet. The paint will continue to travel across moistened paper and to mingle with any other colors it touches along the way. It is one of the loveliest things about watercolor, that it continues to change even after I’ve stopped pushing it around with the brush. The key is knowing when to push and when to stop and watch.